Christian Atsu, a 31-year-old Ghanaian international footballer, has been found dead under the rubble of his home almost two weeks after the devastating Turkey earthquake. His agent Nana Sechere confirmed the news on Saturday, expressing his deepest condolences to Atsu’s family and loved ones.
Atsu had spells with Premier League sides Everton, Chelsea and Newcastle and joined Turkish top-flight club Hatayspor in September 2022. He was reported missing after the 6 February quake that caused the collapse of his apartment in Antakya, Hatay. Hatayspor initially reported Atsu had been rescued “with injuries”, but a day later that position changed.
The Ghana Football Association said Atsu’s body was recovered on Saturday morning after “almost two weeks of emotional torture”. The Ghanaian foreign ministry added that Atsu’s elder brother and twin sister were at the site when his body was recovered and the embassy is arranging for the body to be transported to Ghana for burial.
Atsu won 65 caps for Ghana and helped his country reach the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final where they lost to Ivory Coast on penalties. He was later named player of the tournament. He scored the winning goal in a Super Lig match on 5 February and had a season with Saudi Arabian team Al-Raed before joining Hatayspor.
Tributes have been pouring in from clubs and teams across the world. Ghana’s men’s team the Black Starts paid tribute to the winger, writing: “You served our Country well, forever in our hearts. Rest in Peace.” Newcastle said: “A talented player and a special person, he will always be fondly remembered by our players, staff and supporters.” Everton said they were “deeply saddened” by the news, while Chelsea said they were “devastated”. The Toffees said there will be a period of applause before their Premier League game against Leeds on Saturday and their players will also wear black armbands in remembrance.
Ghana sports broadcaster Michael Oti Adjei told BBC World Service Sportshour: “He was always grounded and he had a nice word for everybody. He was a lovely person to deal with and was one heck of a player too. He had a very good left foot and played 65 times for Ghana, scoring more than 10 goals.”
The Turkey earthquake and aftershocks in southern Turkey and northern Syria are known to have killed more than 40,000 people. Christian Atsu’s death is yet another tragedy of this devastating natural disaster.